Intellectual Property
What is it and are its uses?
Intellectual Property, or IP, is the broad term for property that is intangible. This type of property is intangible in that it is something that represents and idea, product, service, or brand. You may not notice, but those things all around us. A good example is the emblem on the business card above. It represents our firm and, over time, people will associate the mark with our services and our good will.
If you write a book or a song and want to protect that work from plagiarism you can register it with the federal government to receive protection from infringement and improper use. Likewise, if you sell a product or provide a service and have branding that goes along with that, you can register your branding with both the state and federal governments to receive protection from infringement and improper use.
IP includes patents, copyrights, trademarks, and service marks. We deal primarily with the registration of copyrights, trademarks, and service marks.
Patents
A patent is registration and protection of an invention which prevents others from making, using, selling, and importing that invention without your permission, or license. We currently take patent registration cases on a very limited basis.
Copyrights
A copyright is the protection of original works such as paintings, sculptures, books, and songs. The owner of a copyright has the exclusive rights to sell and reproduce their works unless a license is granted. We help register your work for formal copyright protection with the federal government.
Trademarks and Service Marks
A trademark is a logo or emblem that is associated with your product. Likewise, a service mark is a logo or emblem associated with a service that you provide. These types of IP are the most common for small businesses as they are what is used for branding. If you have a brand, then you have IP. It is essential to register your logo or emblem in order to protect your brand. We can help register your logo or emblem with the federal and state governments.
Disclaimer: Do not rely on the above information as legal advice. This information does not create an attorney-client relationship. This information is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be legal advice. You should seek legal counsel from an attorney when approaching a Small Business Law issue to be sure you have appropriate representation.
Want IP Registration?
If you determined that you have IP worthy of protection, contact us for your free consultation.